§ 171. The board of charities of the city of Poughkeepsie shall consist of six members who shall be styled commissioners of charities. Upon the expiration of the terms of office of the present commissioners of charities, and annually thereafter, the mayor shall appoint two commissioners of charities to serve three years. The almshouse of said city shall hereafter be known and designated as the city home. (As amended by chapter 204 of the Laws of 1901.)

§ 172. The commissioners of charities shall meet at the board rooms on the first day of January, in each year, unless it be Sunday, and then on the next day, and organize a board by the name of "the commissioners of charities of the city of Poughkeepsie," which shall possess the usual powers of a corporation for public purposes, for the year, by electing one of their number president. If a president of the board shall not be elected on or before the fifth day of January, in any year, the mayor shall forthwith designate one of the commissioners as, and he shall be, the president for the year. After the thirty-first day of December, nineteen hundred and one, the president of said board shall receive an annual salary of one hundred dollars. (As amended by chapter 204 of the Laws of 1901.)

173. The said board shall have the sole and exclusive care and management of the poor in said city and shall provide for and maintain the same in the manner hereinafter mentioned; and for that purpose it shall have and exercise all the powers and authority now vested by the poor law in the overseers of the poor of towns, and in the superintendents of the poor of counties, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act. It shall also have and possess the powers following:

1. To appoint, by a resolution to be entered upon its minutes, an officer to be denominated "the superintendent of the poor of the city of Poughkeepsie," who shall also be the keeper of the city home, and to employ such other agents as may be necessary, in order to carry into effect the purposes of this act; which said superintendent and other agents shall hold their offices during the pleasure of the said board, and receive such fixed annual salary, as a compensation for their services, as the said board may direct.

2. To visit the poor of the said city at their several places of residence, and inquire and examine into their circumstances, and number and ages of the members of their families, the places of their former residence, their employments, for what length of time and to what extent they have been dependent upon the public for support, their ability to labor, and the cause of their poverty; and the board may direct either permanent or temporary relief to such poor persons, irrespective of the cause of such poverty, under such rules and regulations as it may from time to time adopt.

3. To contract for, purchase and provide provisions, fuel, clothing, and other necessaries for the support of or the distribution amongst the poor, and such cattle, stock, furniture and farming utensils for the city home and lands as in its judgment it may deem necessary.

4. To cause to be constructed within, or within the vicinity of said city home, a cell or cells or other place or places of confinement, for the temporary imprisonment or detention of vagrants. And the recorder of the city of Poughkeepsie is hereby require by his warrant, to be directed to and executed by one of the police officers of said city, to commit to the custody of the keeper of the said city home, to be confined in such cells or places of confinement, all persons adjudged vagrants according to the provisions of the code of criminal procedure, and liable to be sentenced by him to imprisonment in the county jail therefor; and the keeper of said city home is hereby authorized to require all persons, so committed to his charge, to do and perform such work and labor as he shall direct; and the board and maintenance of every such vagrant at the price per week allowed the sheriff of Dutchess county for the board of prisoners in the county jail, for a term not exceeding sixty days upon any one conviction, shall be a county charge, and shall be audited and paid in the same manner as other county charges.

5. To establish rules and regulations for its own government, the government of its superintendent, and its other agents and servants, in the examination of paupers and others applying for or entitled to relief, or for admission to the city home, and

in the distribution of food, fuel, clothing and other necessaries among the poor of the city.

6. It shall have the same powers as overseers of the poor have in relation to lunatics within said city, and to provide for their safe-keeping in a proper place in such city, or to send them to a lunatic asylum.

7. It shall have the same powers as overseers of the poor and county superintendents of the poor now have in relation to bastards within said city; and all proceedings to be had in such cases shall be in its corporate name, and all bonds required according to the provisions of the statutes relating to bastards shall be given to it in its corporate name. (As amended by chap ter 659 of the Laws of 1900.)

§ 174. (Repealed by chapter 232 of the Laws of 1898.) § 175. (Repealed by chapter 232 of the Laws of 1898.) § 176. (Repealed by chapter 232 of the Laws of 1898.)

§ 177. The said superintendent of the poor shall keep an office, to be provided for him by the said board in the city, which shall be open and accessible to those having business therein, at such hours as said board may designate. He shall devote his time and attention to the discharge of his public duties, and shall attend the meetings of the said board and act as the secretary thereof. He shall aid in the examination into the circumstances and conditions of the poor persons applying for and entitled to relief, and shall keep a record of such examinations. He shall keep the minutes of the proceedings of the board and an account of its receipts and disbursements, together with the names of the persons relieved, the manner of the relief, and the time when it was rendered, and prepare its annual and other reports. He shall carry into effect the orders and directions of the said board in distributing relief to poor persons, and generally perform all such duties as may be assigned to him from time to time.

§ 178. The said board shall, on the thirty-first day of December, make to the common council a report containing an exact and accurate account of all moneys received by it, and the sources from whence such moneys were received, during the preceding year, and an exact and accurate account of all its expenditures,

and of all debts incurred by it which are unpaid for the same period of time, and the objects for which such debts were incurred, and to which such expenditures were applied and the persons to whom they were paid for the same period of time also; the number of persons admitted to and discharged from the city home; the number of those provided with outdoor relief; the expenses incurred for keeping and supplying such city home, and the expenses incurred for such outdoor relief during the year. (As amended by chapter 659 of the Laws of 1900.)

§ 179. The said board shall, on or before the first day of October in each year, estimate and certify to the common council what amount of money will be required for the support of the poor of said city during the next year, specifying in detail the objects for which the same will be required, and the amount for each object. And the common council shall appropriate an amount not exceeding the amount in such estimate mentioned, from the general city fund to be known as the poor fund. (As amended by chapter 232 of the Laws of 1898.)

§ 180. The poor fund shall be under the control of the commissioners of charities, and shall be paid out upon resolution of said board, certified by its secretary, by check, containing the name of the person to whom paid, for what purpose, and the date of the meeting when the resolution directing the payment of the same was passed by said board, signed by its president and secretary and not otherwise. (As amended by chapter 659 of the Laws of 1900.)

§ 181. It shall not be lawful for the said commissioners of charities, or either of them, or the said superintendent of the poor, to be concerned or interested, directly or indirectly, in the sale of any goods, merchandise or other personal property found, furnished or provided for the use of the poor of the said city of Poughkeepsie; nor shall such commissioners and superintendent, or either of them, take or receive any profit, reward or emolument for or on account of any goods, merchandise or personal property fund, furnished or provided, by any person or persons other than such commissioners, for the use of the poor of said city. Every violation of the provisions of this section shall be deemed

a misdemeanor, punishable by fine or imprisonment. amended by chapter 659 of the Laws of 1900.)

(As

§ 182. No person shall be disqualified from acting as judge, recorder, witness or juror, by reason of his being a resident, inhabitant or freeholder in said city of Poughkeepsie in any action or proceeding in which the said board is a party. The inhabitants of the city of Poughkeepsie shall not, after the passage of this act, be entitled to vote for superintendent of the poor of Dutchess county at any election for such officer.

§ 183. For all the purposes of the settlement of the poor, according to the provisions of the poor law, the city of Poughkeepsie shall be deemed a town in the county of Dutchess. (As amended by chapter 659 of the Laws of 1900.)

(Note.

RENSSELAER, RENSSELAER COUNTY.

Commissioners of charities appointed by the common

council for a term of two years at a salary of $200.)

Chapter 359, Laws of 1897.

ARTICLE VIII.

DEPARTMENT OF CHARITIES.

Section 140. Powers and duties of the commissioners of charities. 141. Monthly report of commissioners.

142. Common council to audit accounts.

143. Commissioners not to be interested in purchases.

Section 140. Powers and duties of the commissioners of charities. Except as otherwise provided by this act, the commissioners of charities of the city of Rensselaer shall have and exercise within their district in the city of Rensselaer the same powers and discharge the same duties, to the exclusion of any other officer, as overseers of the poor in towns. The commissioners of charities of the city of Rensselaer shall, by virtue of their office in their respective districts also possess all the powers and authority of overseers of the poor of the several towns of this state in